BMW 135i to come to the US

[henk4]

It's advancement
We don't carry starting handles or calcium carbide ( for the acetylene lamps ).
Few cars (any?) have voltage and current meters.
Only performance cars have/need oil pressure.
How often do tyres blow out nowadays ? Gloop and roadside recovery works fine ! The instructions on my PZ are "Call this number" if I get a flat. They are their in 30 mins WITH a tyre -- haven't had to test it tho' (touch wood)
Does it have electronic oil level checks ? The Alpine has and it's much more civilised than removing parts and wiping them
So, given warning lights, WHY are those things "basic equipment" ? How many owners ACTUALLY checked their oil level or knew how to use the infrmation from a water temperature guage - as oposed to warning lights.
Just wondering how many other things we've done without in the car for the last 100 years and which ones will disappear tomorrow .......

I have a voltage meter, both a water and oil temp gauge, whereby the latter really shows you when you can put the "hammer" down. And I do check my oil from time to time with the dipstick. I would never trust these " 30 minute services", certainly when a tyre can be changed in less than 10.

[nota]

does it not have any of those? i know as a BMW it won't have a spare tire (goddamn runcraps) but if it doesn't have the other two i'd be suprised?

Can't speak for the 135 but apparently none of the 4cyl versions come with temperature gauges - and amazingly there's no dipstick either! I guess BMW feels that concepts like monitoring engine temp & checking your oil are beyond the average prostit .. oops secretary

Also:

C) You cannot check the brake fluid or windscreen washer levels visually as BMW chose to hide both these reservoirs. Why?

D) The temperature gauge has been deleted from the instrument panel. Again, why?

E) The option folding rear armrest is a disaster, being held to the backrest by a flap of upholstery with no retaining screws/hinges, so it just plops down and is not located firmly in place. CHEAP! CHEAP! CHEAP! And nasty, too!

http://www.carsurvey.org/model_BMW_1+Series.html

[henk4]

Also:

http://www.carsurvey.org/model_BMW_1+Series.html

the interesting comments are about the 120d.

And yes, this car is a blatant example of BMW's add-on pricing policy. Once you add the things which are standard in a 3-series, you end up by paying just about the price for a 3. (The same goes for the add-ons on the 3, where you end up in 5-series price levels).

[Matra et Alpine]

I have a voltage meter, both a water and oil temp gauge, whereby the latter really shows you when you can put the "hammer" down. And I do check my oil from time to time with the dipstick.

I knew you'd come in ... coz I'm the same.
I like to see all the info .... but 99% of the owners of BMW 1-series ??

I would never trust these " 30 minute services", certainly when a tyre can be changed in less than 10.

Not when the wheel nuts have been put on by an apprentice at Kwik-Fit !!!
The gloop is as good as a space-saver to get you to a tyre fitter and takes only 1 minute to use. AND has the benefit of not having to fight with heavy tyres
And space savers are a joke. The Alpine has a plastic bag in the service kit so that if you have replace a wheel you put it in the plastic bag so that it doesn't mess up the upholstery coz there isnt' enough space to store the replaced wheel Brothers Z3 same and on a recent journey to airport with luggage ( 300 miles ) he had a pucture on the rear. BUT if he replaced it with the space saver he would have had no option but to leave the original wheel/tyre by the roadside
I remember my dad's first Austin 7 hade tyre levers and spare inner tube ... times move on .... just too fast for traditionalists liek us sometimes

[IWantAnAudiRS6]

How often do tyres blow out nowadays ? Gloop and roadside recovery works fine ! The instructions on my PZ are "Call this number" if I get a flat. They are their in 30 mins WITH a tyre -- haven't had to test it tho' (touch wood)

Slash your tyre and try it.

On the night when the Pug went to play with the kerb, their idea of 'emergency recovery (with you within the hour!)' was 2 hours and a half.

[henk4]

Not when the wheel nuts have been put on by an apprentice at Kwik-Fit !!!
The gloop is as good as a space-saver to get you to a tyre fitter and takes only 1 minute to use. AND has the benefit of not having to fight with heavy tyres

Try to find a tyre fitter when you are on the Autoroute in the middle of France.... there is nothing that can replace a fully fledged spare wheel. (and of course the hydropneumatics make changing very easy )

[clutch-monkey]

I have a voltage meter, both a water and oil temp gauge, whereby the latter really shows you when you can put the "hammer" down. And I do check my oil from time to time with the dipstick. I would never trust these " 30 minute services", certainly when a tyre can be changed in less than 10.

i am with Henk and Nota on this one. I'm sure in Europe and England they can get you a spare tire in 30 minutes some of the time, but i'd like to see them try that in Australia - especially when even a simple trip to sydney can see you at least an hour from any town?

[Matra et Alpine]

and how many Series-1 cars would go into the Ozzie bush ?
THink of their target buyers.
THey aren't "us"

[clutch-monkey]

and how many Series-1 cars would go into the Ozzie bush ?
THink of their target buyers.
THey aren't "us"

that is true - but i am referring to major highways here at some point, some them may drive between major cities...

[Matra et Alpine]

Try to find a tyre fitter when you are on the Autoroute in the middle of France.... there is nothing that can replace a fully fledged spare wheel. (and of course the hydropneumatics make changing very easy )

Having seen it used on a bike, the gloop WORKS as well as a space-saver.
Drive up to a hundred miles at slower speeds -- gets you to a "tyre fitter" fine
And yes there will be some punctures it can't fix. But the same is true if you kerbed the car and bust a ball joint The days of carrying lots of bits in our boots continues to diminish. The spare wheel is just the current one on the horizon

[Matra et Alpine]

that is true - but i am referring to major highways here at some point, some them may drive between major cities...

and gloop works fine for that in most cases

[clutch-monkey]

and gloop works fine for that in most cases

i guess i'll believe it when i see it but now it comes down to convenience - gloop, and having to stop in a town and hope they have replacements, or a full size spare and being able to complete the trip with only a minor delay?

[henk4]

Having seen it used on a bike, the gloop WORKS as well as a space-saver.
Drive up to a hundred miles at slower speeds -- gets you to a "tyre fitter" fine
And yes there will be some punctures it can't fix. But the same is true if you kerbed the car and bust a ball joint The days of carrying lots of bits in our boots continues to diminish. The spare wheel is just the current one on the horizon

I prefer to drive to a tyre fitter at full speed....

[Matra et Alpine]

i guess i'll believe it when i see it but now it comes down to convenience - gloop, and having to stop in a town and hope they have replacements, or a full size spare and being able to complete the trip with only a minor delay?

Of course another input is Scottish weather. Changing tyres isn't nice when it's 50mph, cold and pissing it down - a typical Scottish summer's day
Another input is do we all check the condition of our spares ? Is it flat ? damaged ?? Yes, MANY years ago in a Ford Orion I went to change a tyre to fidn the spare in the boot with a nail in it. My darling wife had had a puncture a kind gentleman replaced the wheel for her and she was too busy to go to Kwik-Fit and "forgot" to tell me. None of that is the spare wheels fault though

Final word on it ... it's called "improvement". As said before we dont' carry tyre valves, inner tubes and tyre levers. Not perfect but good enough for ther vast majority of needs thet it's worht doing. After all with fuel at £5/gallon lugging around a heavy wheel and tyre for the off chance of needing it is very expensive and not to mention it's affect on the acceleration !!!!!

[clutch-monkey]

Another input is do we all check the condition of our spares ?

yes learnt my lesson a few years back... managed to completely destroy the tire that time too...